Cork cutting machine



Oct. 28, 1952 K. LOBER coax CUTTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 10, 1947 INVENTOR. mvmp LOfifK 5 Kirk Oct. 28. 1952 K. LOBER CORK CUTTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. KU/V/(Wp [055? Filed July 10, 1947 Oct. 28, 1952 K. LOBER 2,615,480

CORK CUTTING MACHINE Fil ed July 10, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVEN TOR.

Patented Oct. 28, 1952 ooRK CUTTING MACHINE Konrad Lober, Woodhaven, N. Y. .Application July 10, 1947, Serial No. 760,041

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to cork cutting and piercing. machines and in particular to a machine in which two operations occur simultaneously from opposite sides of the bar stock from which the --cork forms are cut.

Difliculty has been encountered in cutting from barstoc-k cork members in shapes which I prefer to call forms in that the high coeflicient of friction makes the cutting and piercing of the stock with aclean cut difiicult and laborious particularlydry cork and in order to overcome some of the objections to the present machines which do the cutting and piercing in different operations and by the use of separate machines I make use of a single machine which does both operations simultaneously.

It is a particular object of the invention therefore to provide a machine in which bar stock of cork or like material may be fed laterally of the machine for successive positioning of parts thereof to be cut and pierced from opposite sides simultaneously, means being employed for compressing the material adjacentthe cutting area so that the stock will cut smoothly and quickly and leave a smooth finish on the form. A further object of the invention is to provide a machine in'which'theparts are substantially duplicated at opposite ends thereof so that machines can be built at less cost than heretofore and with fewer number of parts in order to accomplish both the cutting and thepiercing operations.

A still further object of, the invention is to providamachine having a cutting tube and a piercing tube in opposed relation and a material compressing agent in one of the cutters so thatas bpth cutters operate against each other the cork being cutisdensified and rendered easier to cut and punch.

A further object of the invention is to arrange the frame of the machine to provide opposed guide members in which carriages may be simultaneously reciprocated by a single cammeans and the cores made by the piercing operations of the cutters may be automatically discharged without the use of further mechanism for this purpose; to provide a novel bar stock feeding mechanism for advancing the cork laterallyof the machine so that accurate spacing of the stock will 'vention is illustrated in the from, and to provide for adjustment of theoarriages'inwhich theicuttin'g means arer'nounted.

so that the centers'of the cutters andthe feeding operation thereof "can be varied at will: With these and other objects in view,.the:invention comprises certain constructions hereinafter described and then particularly *pointed out :in the claim and a preferred embodiment of my-L'inings in which:

Figure lis a view in side elevation of acork cut- -'ting and piercing machine constructed in :a'c-

permit the maximum quantity to be out theree cordance with my invention, i

Figure 2 is a continuation of one e ma machine shown in Figure 1, l

Figure 3 is a section taken substantially-ion the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary viewin side elevation showing the means taken at the right of Figure '3 for feeding the stock,

Figure 5 is an end view of theslide and operating means shown in Figure 2 the'cam wheel being also included, a

Figure 6 is a view in side-elevation of the cradle at the piercing tool 'side' or end of themac'hine showing some of the parts in section,' f Figure 7 is a fragmentary view of the form cut ting sleeve or-cutter in section and 'thefrelative position of a cam-used in operating the pr'essure block used in conjunction with the cutter,

- Figure 8 is a view taken laterally of the machine at the center thereof showing the feed housings, one of which has thecoveixplate' omitted to show the interior structure, i

Figure 9 is a view in sectional elevatior'i of the cork bar' feed means shown in Figure 8,- and and drive Figure 10 is a diagrammatic view showing operational steps in the-action of the cutters and automatic discharge of the form and 'core'memare sufficiently similar to permit a description of one to suiiice for both except-for thedetails of the spindles. Each carriage 'is'arrangedto be 'rei ciprocated longitudinally of the frame in properly coordinated action with the other by a vertic'al arm I4 pivoted as at [6 to the frame and actuated by a link I5. The inner end of link l5 is connectaccompanying drawed to the eccentric 11 mounted on the drive shaft I8 j ournalled laterally of the frame at the center thereof. The upper end of the arm M has pivoted thereto as at 19, an adjusting bolt 28 passing through a shackle 2| secured to the bottom of the carriage. The carriage is adjustable relatively to the bolt '29 by the lock nuts 22 so that the travel position of the carriage can be altered as desired. g

-The shackleIZ I is secured to the carriageby pin 23 (Fig. 3) and the carriage is provided with flanges 24 for sliding engagement with the guides I l. The carriage is substantially U-shaped "in cross section and is arranged to support therein on the laterally extending pins 25, a cradle 26 (Fig. 6) which is formed at its opposite ends to provide bearings 21 and is laterally adjustable relatively to the axial center of the machine by 1 an adjusting screw 28 threaded through oneof the mounting ears 29 of said cradle. The cradle -is'held in any adjusted position by the set screws ::30; and:is arranged to carry the spindle assembly which consists. of a tube 3| passing through ball bearing collars 32 insbearings 2'! and keyed at one-end as at 33 to apulley 3 3 which in turn r :isdriven by a"'belt 35 operated by -a-motor 36 :tendsbeyond-an end of tube 3| and is fixed in ::a--suitable'bracket M mounted on the frame of The rod flrmay be adjustably the machine. positioned by use" of the wing .bolt '42, and as thewpunchcuts through the cork bar a core of cork enters the end of the punch and pushes wthe-pin 39 back against the end of the rod 49. :Asrthepunch withdraws, it moves relatively to the pin 39'and: rod 40 and the cork core is dis- -charged from the end of the punch.

-'-,Inor.der to punch out the cork piece which this instance is cylindrical in shape, the spindle of the carriage I3 is modifiedto the extent that (Fig. 7) a threaded end of tube 31 has secured thereto-a pulleysleeve 44 so that a belt 45 opierated from a motor 46 on the cutter carriage may rotate the cutter 41 which is threaded as at 48 tothe end of the tube and houses at, its cutting end a pressure block which bears against'the cork bar 50. The pressure block is attached to the end of a pressure rod 5! which passes axially through the tube and relatively to which the carriage 13 has longitudinal move- :ment. The rod 5|-is reciprocated independently rof the reciproca-tory movements of the carriage by a slide 52 having ears 53 to which the rod is .secured, the slide operating in a channelled bracket '54 secured to and extending beyond the ..action of the: cam 6 and the eccentric 11 co- 4 ordinate the relative movements of the cutter 47, as illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 'l, and the pressure rod 51 so that the cutter 41 and the pressure foot or block 49 move into engagement with the cork bar with the block exerting pressure on the cork, as cutting takes place, to compress the cork in the area where it is to be cut and punched so that a clean cut is the result. The cutter and block withdraw simultaneously, the block having a small initial movement and after the cutter withdrawssuificiently to space its end from the cork bar, the block stops and the continued withdrawing movement of the cutter discharges the cork form that was .cutter Al and the foot 49 is instrumental in dis- 7 charging the cork form from the cutter.

The operation of 'cam GI and eccentric ll with drive shaft [8 is provided by a motor 83 mounted on cross bars 64 in the lower part of frame l0 connected by driving belt; 35 with pulley -86 mounted on counter shaft 61 to which .i's'also secured a pulley 68 which drives a pulley 69 on the main shaft IS through belt H1, inthe direction indicated by the arrow (Fig. 1).

-The' central portion of the frame is cut-out as at 12 to provide a rest for a work feeding unit which consists of a feed housing 13 having end apron portions '14 which are adjustably attached to the frame by the bolt-in-aslot-members 75. The housing l3 presents a table-portion 13 on which a guide H is adjustably mounted as at 78 to provide an abutment for the cork bar so that it can be compressed by the action-of the pressure block 49. The table 16 has vertical posts positioned therein as at 19' to which are adjustably attached as at 88, the ends of a presser housing 8|. The latter has journalled between the side walls thereof levers 82 carrying presser wheels 83 which are urged into engagement with the uppersurface of the cork bar '59 by springs 84 and bite thereinto by reason of the serrated peripheries 85 of said wheels.- I

Between the side walls of the feed housing 13 there are supported the cross shafts 8'l'or. studs on which wheel arms .83 are pivoted to carry in their outer ends the feed wheels or disks 89 whose peripheries are serrated. The disks are mounted on studs 98 two of which are carried by the arms 88 and the third carried between the side walls of the housing to support a third feed wheel 89. Each stud has secured thereto a chain-sprocket wheel 91 .over which passcs'a sprocket chain-92 which is driven by a main drive sprocket gear 93, mounted on counter shaft 94 journalled in the side walls of the housing 13 and driven by a bevel gear train 95 from main shaft l8; through the medium of an eccentrically actuated ratchet device as seen in Figure 4.

. The ratchet device comprises a slotted eccentric plate 96 in which a pivot block 97 isdiametrically adjustable by screw 98 so'that an eccentric throw arm 99 may be varied in'its movements to vary the oscillation of a ratchet arm I00 loosely mounted on ratchet shaft HH journalled in housing 13 and carrying one of the members of the bevel gear train 95. The throw arm carries a pawl 182 which engages a ratchet Wheel secured to said shaft I91, the wheel bein indicated as at 483. The operation of the-ratchet shaft 10! provides an intermittent feed for the sprocket chain 92 and the feed disk 89 operated thereby to feed the bar of cork crosswise of the frame between the carriages. The operationiof of the table to adjust the housing 13 vertically.

In the operation of the device, the opposing spindles with their cutters and carriages are advanced toward the opposite sides of the work and cut therefrom concentric cores of material which are removed from the body of the material by the retractile movement of the cutters. As each cutting member retracts, it moves relatively to its respective internal member and expels the piece of material that has been cut from the main bar I which is intermittently fed across the table in timed relation with the advance and retract movements of the cutters. The cutters are rotated as they are advanced and retracted for better cutting eifect. The cradles that support the cutters or their spindles in the carriages are laterally adjustable for axially aligning the cutters and the relative position of the stroke of each cutter is adjusted by the threaded mounting each carriage has with its own reciprocating means. The relative movement betweenthe cutters and their internal members is provided by mounting one of the members for longitudinal movement independently of the cutter and fixing the other member to the frame, adjustably.

It is evident therefore that I have provided a cork cutter which is equally adaptable to the cutting of dry or wet cork and which, through the use of the simultaneous operation of the cutter and piercing members and the pressure agent will not only reduce the time of production but will turn out a neatly cut and pierced cork member for various uses. It is also evident that by the use of a double ended machine structure of the character set forth, I am enabled to make close adjustments of the parts, adjust the machine for work of different sizes and Without the necessity of using auxiliary attachments to assist in adapting the machine to work of varying dimensions.

My invention is not to be restricted to the precise details of construction shown since various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention or sacrificing the advantages to be derived from its use.

What I claim is:

The combination, in a machine for cutting forms from a bar of material including a frame having a table extending laterally thereof for supporting the material, means for intermittently feeding the material along the table, a guide on the table and axially aligned carriage guides at opposite sides of the table; of carriages in the guides, means for reciprocating each of the carriages toward and away from the table, a cradle in each carriage, means for adjusting each cradle laterally of its carriage, a spindle assembly in each cradle, said spindle assemblies each mounting a tubular cutter of different diameter propelled by movement of the carriages toward each other to transpierce the material simultaneously from opposite sides and cut therefrom a form having a circular bore, a discharge pin loosely mounted in one of the cutters, a stationary push rod extending with said cutter to prevent retractile movement of the pin to expel a core of material from the cutter when the latter moves away from the table, a pressure rod in the other cutter including a pressure block for squeezing the material against said table guide during the transpiercing operation, a slide to which said pressure rod is secured, means for reciprocating said slide independently of the cutter with which said pressure rod coacts whereby said pressure block expels a core of material from said cutter, and means for rotating said tubular cutters in unison.

KONRAD LOBER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Q Nov. 9, 1933 

